ALP vows to dump Samuel

July 19 2003By Phillip Hudson, Gabrielle Costa

Federal Labor would try to dump ACCC boss Graeme Samuel "at the first available opportunity" if it won government because he was not the right person to hold the job, shadow treasurer Mark Latham said yesterday.

Mr Latham said federal Labor was opposed to Mr Samuel's five-year appointment as chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission despite five state Labor governments giving their support.

He also hit out at Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and Treasurer John Brumby for their strong support of Mr Samuel, saying "I think they've got it wrong".

Mr Samuel is a former merchant banker, business consultant and company director but quit those roles - including his seat on the AFL board - to take up the ACCC job.

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Mr Latham said he was an inappropriate choice. "Graeme Samuel has a lengthy CV of corporate appointments and corporate deals. That's the reason he should not head the ACCC. One of the poachers should not be made gamekeeper," he said. "It gives rise to conflicts of interest, both real and perceived."

Mr Latham said Labor wanted to replace Mr Samuel if it won power and would prefer "someone with an academic background", although he did not nominate anyone.

"At the first available opportunity we would want to bring in an independent person with the appropriate experience," he said.

He also claimed South Australia's decision to reverse its veto over the appointment - which delivered the required majority state support - had come because it felt pressured by the Federal Government over recent dealings. "With a gun to their head they've conceded the point," he said.

Mr Samuel defended himself saying he had sound legal and business credentials and from practical experience understood "the ways businesses think and operate".

"These practical experiences give me a good insight into the way businesses focus on competitive pressures and the way they may engage in anti-competitive conduct," he told the Melbourne Press Club.

"After all, it is universally acknowledged that poachers make the best gamekeepers."

Mr Samuel said there would be no special treatment for big or small business and he would act in the best interest of consumers.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello said Mr Samuel was the best person for the job. "We have now allowed 12 to 18 months for the nomination of other candidates and no other candidate was nominated who had the credentials of Graeme Samuel," he said.

Mr Costello said Mr Samuel had been appointed by the former Keating Labor government to the National Competition Council and had "discharged his duties with great gusto". Mr Bracks praised Mr Samuel's "capacity and quality" and urged all states to "get behind him".